Eternal Tale

A year later, in the Eastern Immortal Cultivation Realm, at the Chi Ling Sect.

This sect had five Foundation Establishment cultivators overseeing it and over a thousand disciples, making it a formidable force in a small country.

Outside the Hall of Transmitted Techniques, a man in gray robes sat leisurely in a rocking chair, reading a Qi Refining stage technique manual. Next to him lay a black ox, munching on sunflower seeds while also reading a book on formation techniques.

At that moment, a young man approached with respect in his eyes and cupped his hands in salute, "Elder, I’ve come to select a technique."

"Do you have a token?" the man in gray casually asked, his eyes still focused on the technique manual.

"Please, Elder, take a look," the young man replied, presenting a jade slip with both hands.

"Hmm, no problem. Go ahead," the gray-robed man lifted his eyelids slightly, "Just follow the rules."

"Yes, Elder," the young man responded with delight, then headed into the Hall of Transmitted Techniques. However, as he walked away, he couldn’t help but glance at the black ox beside him, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

He had been in the sect for several years but had never seen this elder before. The elder seemed quite mysterious, and no one in the sect knew much about his origins. It was only known that he was a friend of the sect master, entrusted with guarding the most important place in the sect.

Outside the Hall of Transmitted Techniques, the green mountains stood by, and clear waters surrounded the area.

The gray-robed man smiled faintly and looked down at the black ox on the ground, "Old Ox, we still haven’t fully mastered it."

"Moo~" The black ox looked up with a disdainful expression, thinking, "Big brother went all out back then."

The gray-robed man suddenly burst into laughter, a bit embarrassed. This man was none other than Chen Xun.

When they left Nine Palaces Mountain, their departure was grand and imposing. They forced the aircraft to fly, but shortly after taking off, the Five Elements' power couldn’t be sustained, and the aircraft almost crashed down.

Chen Xun reacted quickly, using his Nascent Soul to stabilize the airship and then storing it in a storage ring. They fled as fast as they could, not because the airship accelerated and disappeared.

"Damn it, I couldn’t exert full strength," Chen Xun's voice was low as if something were stuck in his throat. "Old Ox, to create a new technique that requires exceptional talent."

Due to the imperfections in their technique, they felt as if they had strength but nowhere to use it, now relying entirely on their Nascent Soul's power to roam the world.

"Moo~" The big black ox cracked sunflower seeds noisily, grinning; neither of them was particularly bright.

"Damn," Chen Xun sighed deeply, with a look of reverence in his eyes. "It’s not just talent; countless predecessors lost their lives to pass down these techniques."

"Moo?"

"The power that tears apart meridians—if we didn’t have enhanced defense, Old Ox, could you withstand it?"

"Moo!" The big black ox shuddered, its body trembling. It had experienced that meridian-distorting power before; it almost destroyed even a sturdy ox.

"Not just techniques; think about the medical knowledge we’ve learned, those prescriptions," Chen Xun chuckled, "Those were also bought with lives, and the same goes for techniques."

"Moo~~~" The big black ox exhaled a long breath, its eyes showing respect. Big brother made a good point.

When you think about it, everything they had learned might have been earned by their predecessors at the cost of their lives.

Chen Xun’s eyes were calm as he glanced at the daydreaming black ox, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Big brother is still big brother.

"Every sect has its unique techniques. The more we observe and understand, the more we can master," Chen Xun said, relaxing as he rocked his chair. "The same goes for formations. Ximen Black Ox, I have high hopes for you."

Although the Moon Pavilion was one of the three major forces, it lacked Qi Refining techniques compared to smaller sects. Most ordinary techniques had likely been discarded by the Moon Pavilion since they could be easily bought elsewhere.

"Moo!!" The big black ox suddenly stood up, its eyes gleaming with determination, sunflower seeds scattering everywhere. It would never disappoint, big brother.

Chen Xun laughed, patting the big black ox, "Good student."

They continued their studies, but Chen Xun’s brow gradually furrowed. Creating a Qi Refining technique wasn’t the problem, but developing a Five Elements Qi Refining technique was something he was still pondering.

The development of the Five Elements Immortal Path had been a stroke of luck, driven by necessity. He didn’t have that kind of innate talent. Moreover, it was still in its infancy, far from complete, and couldn’t yet break free from the framework of the traditional Spiritual Energy Immortal Path.

However, he wasn’t in a hurry. This was far more interesting than merely breaking through realms. With his lifespan assured and no enemies, he could take his time.

"The wood attribute spiritual energy of the Crane Spirit Tree is converted into non-attribute spiritual energy through the Five Elements Wood," Chen Xun muttered to himself, beginning to operate the Qi Refining technique. "So, what about the Five Elements energy? Can it be reversed?"

As his words trailed off, Chen Xun’s body seemed to turn into a furnace, forcibly operating the Spiritual Energy Immortal Path technique.

The Five Elements energy within him seemed to boil, and the surrounding spiritual energy slowly began to converge toward him.

"What the—?!"

"Moo?!"

"It’s nothing, Old Ox; I’m just experimenting."

"Moo~"

The black ox moved a few steps away, sensing the subtle changes in Chen Xun’s body. It wasn’t anything serious, just a Qi Refining technique.

"Old Ox, I’ll leave this to you," Chen Xun said, frowning slightly as he prepared to dive deeper into his experiment.

"Moo!" The black ox nodded, pulling out a booklet. If any disciples came, it would just write them a note.

Chen Xun descended into the earth.

Blood began to trickle from the corners of his mouth as his meridians slowly ruptured under the pressure of the Five Elements Furnace. He was going against the natural order, trying to develop a new technique.

"Heh, I’m getting injured," Chen Xun's gaze was sharp, his expression showing no pain, only curiosity. In all these years, the times he had been injured could be counted on one hand.

He was introspecting, observing the intense activity within his body as his meridians, even with enhanced defense, gradually fractured.

Chen Xun slowly closed his eyes, blood flowing more freely from his mouth. As long as he wasn’t on the brink of death, he had nothing to fear—everything could be restored.

A low humming sound resonated within his body, and more and more Five Elements energy gathered as if it were on the verge of breaking through something.

"I’ve studied countless Qi Refining techniques of my predecessors, and the only way forward is to use them as a medium to reverse the Five Elements energy!"

Chen Xun's black hair fluttered wildly as his entire body turned red, with beams of Five Elements light emerging from him. "Meridians rupture, the Five Elements energy scours through, opening the hidden potentials of the human body."

His expression grew calmer as he continued to operate the Qi Refining technique. His meridians were fracturing more and more.

Boom!

Suddenly, the fractured meridians within him began to converge into an orifice, where the Five Elements energy pulsed.

At this moment, five Nascent Soul shadows appeared above Chen Xun’s head, their gazes deep and sharp, with two fingers held in front of their chests, assisting Chen Xun in breaking through the orifice.

A small booklet floated before him as Chen Xun, with his eyes closed, began to draw diagrams.

Crack!

As the first orifice opened within Chen Xun, one after another, the acupoints were forcefully opened through the operation of the technique.

With a cry, Chen Xun spat out a mouthful of blood. The pain of ruptured meridians was the true end of the Immortal Path, only recoverable through rare treasures.

"Damn, this is brutal," Chen Xun muttered as he coughed up blood, smiling as the roaring within his body grew louder.

Gradually.

Five Elements energy began to flow from his mouth and nose, circulating him before returning to his body, no longer relying on the assistance of his Nascent Souls.

The acupoints within his body were opening more and more, and by the end, the Qi Refining technique had forcefully opened 40 acupoints!